


Three Is Better Than Two

by miraculousstorytelling



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Happy Ending, Identity Reveal, Multi, Pining, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 18:16:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10668129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousstorytelling/pseuds/miraculousstorytelling
Summary: Marinette has always wanted to meet her soulmate. Instead, she falls for not one, but two boys in her class, neither of which are her soulmate.





	Three Is Better Than Two

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Larvesta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larvesta/gifts).



> Written for [larvesta](http://larvesta.tumblr.com/) for her birthday. Inspired by [this lovely piece of art.](http://larvesta.tumblr.com/post/158848325759/larvesta-miraculoussophiebug)

Each start of the new year began just like this. Marinette would wake up, close her eyes, and hope. The first day of school meant new students and new chances to meet her soulmate. Plus, it also meant a chance to finally have a class without Chloe Bourgeois. At this point, she wasn’t sure which would be better.

By the end of the day, she not only hadn’t found her soulmate, but she was also still in Chloe’s class. On the bright side, she’d made a new friend who was willing to stand up to Chloe, and instead of a soulmate, she’d gotten a kwami and the chance to be a hero.

Still, Marinette stared down at her wrist and frowned, rubbing her thumb over the bare skin, wishing as she always did, that tomorrow would be the day she’d gain a mark.

 

Marinette knew it was dangerous to fall in love with someone who wasn’t her soulmate. Despite the sparks between her and Adrien when he handed her his umbrella, there was no mistaking the blank wrists after their fingers brushed across each other. He wasn’t her soulmate. She had to accept that.

That didn’t stop her from tripping over her words and her own two feet every time she got close to him. That didn’t mean she didn’t silently daydream about him during class, wondering what his soulmate mark would look like. That didn’t keep her from imagining a lovely golden sun blooming over her wrist and wishing for the impossible.

Chat Noir had been convinced they were soulmates. He begged her to try touching skin to skin just once to see during one of their first patrols. So, she indulged him, secretly hoping he was right, and brushed her cheek over his. When she dropped into her room moments later, detransformed, and checked her wrists, Marinette bit her lip and blinked back tears building at the corners of her eyes.

Blank as always.

 

It was almost worse when Adrien and Nino began to bond so easily in those first few weeks of class. Every time they laughed together or brushed elbows or traded playlists, she couldn’t help but think of what a beautiful couple they’d make. She couldn’t help but remember why she’d always liked Nino so much on the few occasions that they interacted. She couldn’t help but imagine a golden sun on his wrist, too, and the mental picture warmed her heart in a way she couldn’t quite understand.

Then came the days Alya, Marinette, Nino, and Adrien would share lunch, and Marinette would laugh at Nino’s jokes and swap stories about their chemistry teacher. One lunch, she figured out mid-bite exactly why she felt so light and pleasant when she was around Nino, and frankly, it was entirely unfair. As if being Ladybug wasn’t complicated enough, now she had to fall for two boys who weren’t her soulmate at the same time? So much for ladybugs being a symbol of good luck.

 

Eventually, Marinette fell back into her normal routine. Wake up, run to school, try not to make a fool of herself in front of Adrien or Nino, ignore Chloe, try to stay awake in class, fight an akuma, go to lunch, work on homework, help her parents at the bakery, go on patrol, finish designs while struggling to keep her eyes open, and stare at her wrist while falling asleep. The want and emptiness that filled her every time she looked at her blank wrist faded with the monotony of routine.

She could almost understand the akuma they faced now, calling herself the Blank Canvas and stealing soulmate marks from everyone she saw. Ladybug had no qualms about fighting her, which might have been the only benefit to not having any soulmate mark. Just as she was swinging down to face the villain, however, Ladybug saw a pair of civilians running down the street.

Unfortunately, Blank Canvas saw them, too, and Ladybug barely managed to change direction fast enough to scoop them up and out of the way.

“Hold on!” she shouted as she flew off, the two of them pressed close and wrapping their arms around her neck.

Only once she was on the ground a safe distance away did she realize who she’d transported. Adrien and Nino landed beside her, glancing around for any sign of the akumatized victim.

“Stay here. I’ll draw her away from you,” Laydbug said, turning away from them and hoping the way her pulse spiked wasn’t obvious to anyone but herself. Neither of them were her soulmate, she reminded herself as she aimed her yo-yo and prepared to swing away.

“Wait, Ladybug!” Adrien spoke up from behind her.

She soared off before she could hear what else he had to say. She had a job to finish, and the last thing she needed was for Adrien or Nino to see Ladybug blushing over them when she should be saving Paris.

 

Chat Noir caught up with her moments later. “I think we need to talk when we finish dealing with this akuma, milady.”

“Something bugging you, kitty?” she teased.

“Not exactly.”

She didn’t have the chance to ask for further explanation, and Blank Canvas proved to be more of a challenge than either expected, which meant a lull in the puns and banter they typically enjoyed during fights. Chat Noir seemed somewhat distracted anyway, Ladybug noted as she paused to strategize, but he was still holding his own.

A cataclysm and lucky charm later, and they were helping a confused girl to her feet, checking to see if she was okay. Once they were sure everyone was back to normal, Ladybug and Chat Noir ran off to a rooftop just out of sight.

“Wait, Ladybug-”

She turned to look at him. “We only have a couple minutes left. Can it wait until patrol tonight?”

“No, it can’t.” He frowned. “I’m sorry, but I think both of us are going to be figuring out who we are pretty soon anyway.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I got my soulmate marks.” Chat Noir sighed. “Nino did, too, which means yours are probably there under the suit right now.”

“Marks?” she asked. “What are you ta-”

She froze when she realized. Having multiple marks wasn’t unheard of, but it was rare. Of course, it always complicated things, because all three had to touch each other at once to trigger the marks, and if that was the case…

“Adrien?” she whispered, taking a step closer to him.

He raised a brow. “You recognized me?”

She nodded. “We g- Um…” She hesitated, then she sighed. “Well, you’re going to figure out anyway. We go to the same school.”

“We do?”

She chewed at her lip. “Did you already tell Nino?”

He looked away. “Not yet, but he’ll probably figure it out pretty quickly.”

She offered her hand as their miraculouses beeped in unison. “Let’s tell him together, then.”

 

Ladybug couldn’t believe her luck when they spotted Nino only seconds later. She landed beside him. “Need a lift?” she asked, wrapping an arm around his waist.

He slipped an arm around her shoulders, and she flew off, barely catching sight of a ladybug mark on his wrist.

Chat Noir followed and landed beside them in a quiet alley.

“Look, I get it if you can’t tell me who you are or anything,” Nino began. “I’ll figure out how to cover this up. I can always say I only have one mark, and I bet Adrien would do the same…” His voice trailed off as Ladybug’s transformation fell in a burst of pink light.

Chat Noir stared. “Marinette?” A green light followed, leaving Adrien behind.

“Adrien?” Nino asked, looking between the two of them. “You guys are Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

Marinette glanced down at her wrists, and sure enough, a black cat with bright green eyes was on her left wrist, and a blue treble clef was on her right. “I don’t believe it…”

Adrien held up his hands, showing her the ladybug on his right wrist and the matching treble clef on his left. “I knew we were soulmates.”

Nino let out a slow breath, slowly taking all of it in. “This explains a lot, actually.”

“Tell me about it.” Marinette grinned. “I thought I was awful for loving both of you at the same time.”

“Me, too,” Nino admitted with a small smile.

Adrien reached out to take each of their hands in his, marveling over the twin black cats on their wrists. “I just can’t believe I get two soulmates.” He pressed a kiss to both marks. “It’s pawsitively purrfect.”

Marinette laughed. “So, the puns are a you thing, not a Chat Noir thing.”

Nino chuckled. “Oh, they’re totally an Adrien thing.”

 

As it turned out, puns weren’t the only Adrien thing Marinette learned about over the course of their relationship. Cuddling was also an Adrien thing. Spontaneous gifts were certainly an Adrien thing. Surprise love letters might have been her favorite Adrien thing.

Of course, she also learned about Nino things. Hugs when you needed them the most was a Nino thing. The perfect playlist was a Nino thing. Endless snapchats, ranging from hilarious to confusing, was a Nino thing Marinette simultaneously adored and teased him about.

Marinette had her own things, too. Sharing cookies and croissants and macarons was a Marinette thing. Fashion advice and fixing clothes was a Marinette thing. Planning the best surprise dates was a Marinette thing.

Marinette had a knack for finding the best gardens with secret hideaways where they could sit in the grass and relax together. Adrien would watch, enraptured while Marinette would lean over to peck Nino’s lips, each enjoying the soft and sweet way the other would move closer and murmur praise into the corners of the other person’s mouth. Nino would gently push her towards Adrien, reminding her he needed some attention, too. He’d watch over Marinette’s shoulder while Adrien would taste Nino on Marinette’s lips, warm as sunshine against her chest. Marinette, comfortable and snug between them would duck out of the way and cup the backs of their necks to push them together, insisting they couldn’t leave Nino out. Nino would smile and lean in for his own kiss, savoring the feeling of his best friend and soulmate’s hand in his while Marinette grinned up at them. Together like this, they felt like home, and nothing could be better than that.

**Author's Note:**

> Also [posted on tumblr under miraculousstorytelling!](http://miraculousstorytelling.tumblr.com/post/159516620018/three-is-better-than-two)


End file.
